Newsom says Trump sent California National Guard troops to Oregon
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks on August 14 in Los Angeles, California. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images
The Trump administration sent hundreds of federalized personnel from the California National Guard to Portland, Oregon, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said and the White House confirmed Sunday.
The big picture: The move, which Newsom says he'll sue over, comes the day after a federal judge temporarily blocked the administration's deployment of troops to Oregon, saying the government had failed to prove immigration-related protests in the area couldn't be handled by local law enforcement.
The latest: While Newsom said 300 California National Guard members would be deployed, chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell told Axios Sunday evening that about 200 troops would be sent from the state to Portland.
- They're "being reassigned from duty in the greater Los Angeles area" to the city to support Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) "and other federal personnel performing official duties, including the enforcement of federal law, and to protect federal property," Parnell said.
- Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield (D) said the state is "preparing to take legal action" over the move.
Driving the news: State and local officials have slammed Trump's directive to send federal troops into the city as unnecessary and dangerous.
- Newsom said in a Sunday statement that the personnel are on their way now, calling the administration's action "a breathtaking abuse of the law and power."
- "This isn't about public safety, it's about power," Newsom's statement continued. "The commander-in-chief is using the U.S. military as a political weapon against American citizens."
- However, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement emailed to Axios: "President Trump exercised his lawful authority to protect federal assets and personnel in Portland following violent riots and attacks on law enforcement."
Friction point: The bitter feud between Trump and the California governor was escalated this summer when the president mobilized thousands of Guard troops and hundreds of Marines in response to Los Angeles-area protests.
- Earlier this year, Trump also sent Guard personnel into Washington, D.C. He'd repeatedly teased sending troops to Chicago — before eventually moving Saturday to call up 300 National Guard members in Illinois.
Catch up quick: U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut, a Trump appointee, on Saturday granted a temporary restraining order that halted the deployment of Oregon National Guard members to Portland.
- She noted in her order that the "protests at the Portland ICE facility were not significantly violent or disruptive in the days — or even weeks — leading up to the President's directive" and said Trump's "determination was simply untethered to the facts."
- Soon after, the administration filed a notice of appeal to challenge the decision.
- Local officials have pushed back on the administration's characterization of what's happened at demonstrations at a South Portland facility, saying they've been relatively small and easily handled by local police, Axios' Kale Williams reported.
What they're saying: Gov. Tina Kotek (D) said in a statement that her administration is aware of 101 Guard members who arrived in Oregon Saturday night and that they believed more were on the way Sunday. She added she had yet to receive any official notification from the federal government.
- "The facts haven't changed," her statement read. "There is no need for military intervention in Oregon. There is no insurrection in Portland."
- Portland Mayor Keith Wilson (D) said the administration's move "circumvents the court's decision and threatens to inflame a community that has remained peaceful."
The other side: Trump on Sunday said Immergut "ought to be ashamed."
- He told reporters outside of the White House, "I appointed the judge, and he goes like that." Immergut is a woman.
Go deeper: Trump administration appeals Portland Guard deployment ruling
Editor's note: This story has been updated with statements from the White House, chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell and local officials.
